Did you know that brushing your pet's teeth daily is considered gold standard dental care? Brushing your pet's teeth will help to prevent tartar accumulation and aid in the prevention of dental disease. 

Here's what you need:

1. Patience - take things slowly. It will take your pet time to get used to this new routine

2. A pet tooth brush, a baby's toothbrush or finger brush - ask us for the best recommendation and size for your pet

3. Use a tasty flavoured toothpaste - try poultry or beef flavoured! Never use human toothpaste - this can be toxic 

4. Treats and positive encouragement for your pet

How to do it:

1. Position yourself and your pet so that you can access your pet's teeth comfortably

2. Lift your pet’s upper lip and begin to brush in a circular motion, much like you would brush your own teeth

3. Make sure you brush where the tooth meets the gum line and don't forget to get the very back teeth - these are the places your pet is most likely to develop problems

Watch this video for more information. 

A general tip:

Make a habit of checking your pet's mouth for any tartar or smelly breath - for example when you are sitting on the couch or grooming your pet.

Ask us for help if you are struggling to brush your pet's teeth. 

Jake the 10 year old labrador is a typical friendly lab who loves his family and loves his food.

Recently, his owners noticed a strange little lump that had appeared on his skin near his shoulder. A visit to the vet was in order. 

A small sample of cells was taken using a needle (technically known as a fine needle aspirate). This sample was placed on a slide and had special stains applied and was examined under a microscope. A large number of granular cells were seen - giving the possible diagnosis of a mast cell tumour. 

Mast cells are special cells that are normally found distributed throughout the body and help an animal respond to inflammation and allergies. Sometimes there are a cancerous proliferation of these cells leading to the formation of a tumour. Some of these tumours can be very aggressive and spread elsewhere in the body. 

Mast cell tumours are commonly referred to as 'the great pretenders' because their appearance can be varied, from a wart-like nodule to a soft lump to an ulcerated skin mass. The only way to diagnose them accurately and decifer how aggressive they are is to take a small biopsy under a general anaesthetic and have this assessed by a pathologist. 

Thankfully Jake's biopsy indicated that the lump was a low grade mast cell tumour and it was removed with a second surgery. The lump was then sent to the pathologist to ensure it had been removed entirely. In higher grade tumours it is necessary to remove large amounts of tissue surrounding the tumour to ensure 'clean' margins. 

If you notice a new lump or bump on your pet you should arrange an appointment with us. All lumps should be checked by fine needle aspiration to rule out the presence of any nasty looking cells.

Last month’s Pet of the Month winner was Bonnie, a 1 year old fluffy cat who was a first time visitor to our clinic. Bonnie came in for her annual health check, and an ongoing health programme was devised for her, including an upgrade to the complete cat vaccination protocol – F3 and FIV.  Bonnie spends her time indoors, but now she is protected even if she dashes out the door when the owner least expects it, as cats are so prone to do!

Bonnie is just at the start of her adult life, and she is still in great shape with beautiful teeth. From her nutritional consultation, Rhonda determined that the best diet for Bonnie would be the Royal Canin Feline Young Neutered Female food, which is specifically formulated to keep the bladder, muscle mass and teeth as healthy as possible. Well done Bonnie, we are sure you will enjoy it!